The Truth About Commercial Architecture (Part Two!)
In part two of this blog, we are going to be finishing up discussing the truth about commercial architecture and the many things you need to know and understand when preparing to work with one!
Hello, readers! Welcome back to the blog. We are looking forward to sharing part two of this blog with you. We hope you enjoyed the first part, and you are feeling more confident about what a commercial architect is, what working with one is like, and have started to think about what you want your experience to be like when working on your future commercial build. If you have been looking for a local commercial architect firm close to the Lowcountry or here in Charleston, you don't need to look any farther! We are here to help you with both your commercial and residential architecture and for every project in between. We are here to help design exactly what you want and to design a build that is a promising economic advantage to your community and the future growth of your company.
In part one of this blog, we discussed our commercial projects, the best ways to choose your commercial architect, and what you need to consider when choosing or starting a commercial project. In this blog, we are going to be discussing exactly what a commercial architect does along with a few more items to add to your checklist of knowledge when tackling a future commercial project. We want to make sure that you are prepared, knowledgeable, and ready to work with your architect no matter when or where you choose to build! Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to get started on a project of your very own.
MORE TO THINK ABOUT
While we already discussed many things that you need to consider when hiring a commercial architect and how to properly go about doing that, we wanted to add a few more ideas to think about, especially as we approach the new year.
Ask those around you and in your industry. As a business owner, we are sure that you know a few other business owners who have gone through the process of building or designing their own offices. Ask what they learned, what they enjoyed about the process, and what they might change next time. Ask who they enjoyed working with and if they can give you any professional or personal recommendations or connections. Word of mouth is very powerful in every industry.
Make sure to take advantage of all online resources. Go beyond traditional research and pay attention to what the professionals are saying. Read the Google Reviews, see what is said about a potential company on the Better Business Bureau page, and what people are saying on platforms like Angie's List. These can sometimes be the most powerful and truthful reviews that you need to see before working with anyone.
Even once you have narrowed it down to what company you want to work with, meet with them a second time to make that final decision. While on paper and during your first meeting you might have been impressed with a company, really look for a personal connection. Having that personal connection can help with communication, creating a project that you are both equally excited for, and having someone who can sympathize with your needs and who you are as a business owner.
THE RESPONSIBILITY ROSTER
Now that you've done your research on how to find and choose your best commercial architect, have come to understand what responsibilities are coming your way, and made all of your intentions known, it's time to learn exactly what a commercial architect does!
They are trained to work on a much larger scale, and to design for more commercial elements that many resident builds will never have. These items include public restrooms, freight elevators, elevators, public restrooms, large parking lots, and loading docks.
They are experienced in creating and designing large spaces for people to gather in, along with designing a space that is safe for everyone in these spaces and with safe exits in and out of the room and building they are creating.
They design and build things such as hospitals, schools, office buildings, restaurants, coffee houses, breweries, fast food locations, banks, air terminals, airports, and much more.
It is good to understand that a commercial architect's job and responsibilities have evolved. It is so much more than just sharing what you want your design to be, and then having them turn around with the blueprints. They want to help you pick out the best design that not only checks off all of your boxes, but also a build that will better the environment and the community it is being planned for.
The knowledge your commercial architect needs to have is essential to you and your future building space to make it as safe as possible. It is up to them to know and understand the community around you and to understand everything else you need! They will understand the rules and regulations of your community, how to build within these restrictions, and much more. To help them through all of this, a commercial architect will need to have their fair share of knowledge of landscaping, building green, and historical reconstruction. Working with an architect that does not know these things can lead you to end up in a build that you are unhappy with and could barely be meeting code.
You need to know and understand historical restoration here in Charleston since it is such an old town full of old historic buildings just waiting to be saved and reconstructed into something truly spectacular. To help keep these pieces of history safe, make sure you are working with a company that knows how to deal with older buildings, how to approach restoration and reconstruction, and understands how to protect this historic building to become the beautiful space that you want, and a space that is ready to help grow your commercial business or property needs.
When working with a commercial architect, make sure that you make your wants and needs about landscaping very clear. If plans are not made for this, it could be a huge pain to go back in after a build and properly landscape. If this is something important to you or your company, make it known and communicate. Through the whole process of working with a commercial architecture company, make sure you are communicating as much as possible. The more you communicate the better your design and build will be. They are not mind readers, and can only guess what you are looking for.
Building green should be one focus for your commercial architect. It has become more commonly accepted and is preferred over the traditional ways of design and building in years past. Building as green as possible to give back to your community can be a huge draw for future tenants and getting support from your community. This is something we are incredibly passionate about. We put a lot of effort into building designing as green as possible in all of our commercial and residential projects.
They have a huge responsibility to understand and know every inch of commercial safety and code and how to integrate that into their designs. They are required to always make sure that the building they are creating reaches these requirements and provides safety for everyone who will be inside of the building.
Much More!
There is a lot to the process of choosing the best commercial architecture company, and a lot to consider when it's time to begin the process of designing and building said future build. Please keep these blogs in mind as you approach your first projects with an architecture company, to make the whole experience as smooth and professional as possible! Before our next blog, if you have any questions, comments, revelations, or concerns that you would like to discuss, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! We are here to begin your design process and turn your plans into solid realities! As this is our last blog of 2020, we want to thank each of you for your support and belief in our company. We have been honored to design and be apart of so many incredible projects despite the difficulties of this year. Thank you for another year, and thank you for giving us another year to look forward to. We hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful holiday season, and we are looking forward to celebrating the new year with each of you!